: Identifying the author, audience, and the situation of the recipients.

The goal is to act like a "detective" by recording the major facts of a passage without consulting outside resources.

The core of this method is the , which typically follows four progressive steps: 1. Observation: What do I see?

The (often associated with the "Methods of Bible Study" or "Methodical Bible Study" curriculum) provides a structured framework for analyzing scripture. This approach, widely used in academic settings like Liberty University's BIBL 360 course, focuses on discovering the author's original intent rather than imposing personal meaning on the text.